James FISK, Congress, VT (1763-1844)

FISK, James, a Representative and a Senator from Vermont; born in Greenwich, Hampshire County, Mass., October 4, 1763; self-educated; served in the Revolutionary War 1779-1782; member, Massachusetts general assembly 1785; entered the Universalist ministry and preached occasionally; moved to Barre, Vt., in 1798; studied law; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Barre; member, Vermont house of representatives 1800-1805, 1809-1810, 1815; judge of the Orange County Court 1802-1809, 1816; selected as the member from Orange County to locate the capital in 1803; chairman of the committee that endeavored to get a settlement of the northern boundary with Canada in 1804; elected as a Democratic Republican to the Ninth and Tenth Congresses (March 4, 1805-March 3, 1809); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Eleventh Congress; elected as a Democratic Republican to the Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1815); chairman, Committee on Elections (Thirteenth Congress); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Fourteenth Congress; appointed United States judge for the Territory of Indiana in 1812, but declined; judge of the supreme court of Vermont 1815-1816; elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Dudley Chase and served from November 4, 1817, to January 8, 1818, when he resigned; collector of customs for the district of Vermont 1818-1826; moved to Swanton, Vt., in 1819, and died there November 17, 1844; interment in Church Street Cemetery.

Bibliography

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present